MoL says homes of illegals will be raided after July 3

Saudi immigration officers receive documents from illegal immigrant workers at the Saudi immigration offices at the Alisha area, west of Riyadh, in this May 26, 2013, photo. (Reuters)

jEDDAH: ARAB NEWS

Monday 10 June 2013

Last Update 10 June 2013 3:18 am

The Ministry of Labor has firmly said it will not spare any establishment from its inspection raids, including houses. The ministry has vowed to crack down on expatriates working illegally in the Kingdom after the three-month grace period ends on July 3.

"Even private residences will be checked to ensure there are no illegally employed workers," Fahd Al-Khelaiwi, director general of the Labor Ministry's Provincial Office in Riyadh, said in a meeting at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday.

The statement sparked many objections from the businessmen attending the meeting, who cited privacy violations as a prime concern, a local newspaper reported.

Al-Khelaiwi added that raids would be launched with the support of the Ministry of Interior, while matters pertaining to arrests and deportations will be completed with the help of the police and Passport Department.

Government offices, companies and schools will be inspected without exemption, he said.

Details regarding the inspections are yet to be disclosed. However, another source has revealed that anyone found working illegally would be arrested and deported immediately and would not be given another opportunity to rectify his/her status.

He added that workers could transfer to another employer even if the current sponsor refuses to provide the paperwork necessary for the transfer, adding that such official documents could be collected after the deadline.

Establishments which opened employment files at the labor offices following the announcement of the grace period would not be permitted to transfer sponsorships, he said.

Al-Khelaiwi advised establishments not to divulge the secret numbers assigned to their files at the labor office. The ministry also permits the transfer of sponsorship through power of attorney during the correction period.

The official feared that the huge number of people visiting the labor offices daily might hamper the discharge of duties. However, he did not comment about the possibility of extending the grace period.

He added that sons of migrating tribes are to be considered Saudi nationals for employment.

In related developments, Ahmed Al-Mutawwea director of the city branch of the labor office in Riyadh, said 10,000 visitors on average have been coming to his office daily since the beginning of the grace period.

The influx of foreign workers to get their documents rectified before the end of the grace period is an indication of the magnitude of the Kingdom's illegal labor market problem, another source said.

In addition, it is illegal for expatriates to work as imams or muezzins in mosques because these are jobs reserved for Saudis. Those who appoint non-Saudis in mosques will be punished, the source added.